This was a well written and very lyrical book, which set the mood of a period in some time where people could be ‘bound’ and memories captured in books, and excised from existence for the person. This practice is fraught with moral misgivings, but has worked well for many years, for most. Or has it just worked for the rich in society, and really used as a method of cover up? A beautiful love story is expertly told, as well as the complicated moral tale. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

The Binding is a beautifully written novel but it is a slow burn. It took me a while to get into the book and even after that the story line was fairly slow. If you keep reading though, you won’t be disappointed. The only complaint is that there could have been more about binding.

What if you could remove memories from the mind? Memories such as grief, pain, sadness, horrifying events, and even dark secrets. In The Binding, that is exactly what people known as binders can do. Emmett Farmer works at his family’s farm but has always been drawn to books, even though they are forbidden. One day his family receives a letter requesting to have Emmett become a bookbinder’s apprentice. Emmett goes to live with Seredith, an older woman who will teach him her ways. Seredith is an artisan, a binder who takes great pride in her work but there are other binders that use their skill for dark purposes. Emmett will discover those types of binders and will uncover a secret about himself.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to netgalley for the e-arc of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Second I give this book a 3 star rating...maybe a 3.5 I'm on the fence.

So, the premise of the story is about a boy named Emmett who finds out that he is to becomes a book binder's apprentice. Now that sounds like a dream job, right? Not in this world. A book binder binds books yes, but they are filled with the memories of people; memories that they wish to forget.

I wish really excited about where the book was going. And then the woman that he was the apprentice under dies and he has to go live with this jerk of a binder. Sends Emmett out to do a binding even though he was never taught how to do so. And that is when everything starts going wrong for our main character.

He finds out that there is a book with his name on it; which means he has had memories bound. The only way ones memories can be bound is if the person agrees to get them bound. He gets his book and instead of it ending up in the wrong hands so to speak, he throws it in the fireplace and all his memories come flooding back.

Turns out that he's in love with the guy that his parents are hoping will marry his sister- and he is in love with him and has also had his memories bound. (The other guy's name is Lucian.)

I don't mind the guys falling in love with one another, I just felt it was too much forced relationships just create drama.

But Bridget's writing is easy to follow and her descriptions of the world this is based is wonderful. I felt like we were in a Charles Dickens type story.

Over all I enjoyed this story, just not certain points of it.

This book was unexpected. The story line is different and intriguing. There is a LGBT storyline that I didn't think I would find interesting but it was. It was so easy to get to know Emmett and Lucien and get wrapped up in they lives. I really liked it.

I tried to read this book because of the description....but I really am not a fan of fantasy books. I try but just can't make myself enjoy them. I read a little of this book but I do not think that I am the person to review this book.

I got this as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I need to start by saying I didn't actually finish the book. I was excited by the description of this book. The excitement only lasted so long. I kind of slogged through it. Most fictional/fantastical words I can get into but I just couldn't get immersed into it. One night I sat down to really finish it. I was about 60% through when it revealed itself to be a Homosexual love story. People may not like it but I couldn't read it after that. I believe that it should be listed as a such. Forbidden love is not a good enough descriptor. The writing wasn't strong enough to get me to keep reading.

This book was just slow and I never really got in to it. There weren't enough fantasy/magical elements to this and the characters were not intriguing. I did not finish this one and gave up somewhere around 30%.

I loved the concept of this book and the division of the story. I struggle with first-person narratives but I really enjoyed the main characters and was interested in their story that I got sucked in and managed to forget about the point of view. I felt like there was a lot of background to this world that I was missing and would have liked explained in the book but I don't think it took away from the story but my curiosity was peaked and I wanted more story.

This book started slow for me and I had a hard time finishing it . Fi r some reason I just did not connect with the characters . It’s basucally the story of an awful man and his abuse , the writing is descriptive there was just a disconnect fir me .

An intriging concept powers this historical romance with a touch of magical realism. Imagine that you could be released from the emotional pain and memories of our less savory life experiences. That these could be bound in a book and forgotten in a deep vault somewhere never to see the light of day again. ...But at what price? Who are we without the marks of darker twists and turns that our lives take? Who are we without our memories? And who is the keeper of the keys of that vault - can they be trusted? This original novel is set in a 19th century world where books are looked on with suspicion and fear by many and love is not acceptable unless it is of a heterosexual nature. Flawed but compelling.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are just precious! At the beginning your like what's going g on its a little weird but weird in a way that you keep reading wanting to know what's going on. Great book.

This is a book that took me some time to get into.
No matter how I tried, I could not get a "feel" of the plot as well as character development.
It was OK book, but for me it was simply too slow. Sorry....
3/5.

I had a difficult time getting into this book, but I will definitely be purchasing it for our high school library! I am looking forward to book talking it/recommending it to our students who love fantasy and dystopian titles--I feel confident that they will really connect with Emmett and this world. Thank you so much for the sneak preview!

This book is a bit of a puzzle to put together. It was a very mysterious fantasy. Emmett Farmer had been very ill, when he recovers he is sent to apprentice to the local bookbinder. The bookbinders have the power to remove memories and bind them in books. It is a very sacred duty that his mentor took seriously. When she dies Emmett is thrown into intrigue and is caught up in his own mysterious past. This book is interesting but not fully explored as it could be and I wish there could have been more of an exploration of the magical aspects of the story since that was truly interesting and the setup felt like that was the initial direction of the book.

Wow. This book ticked all my boxes. Great characterization, slow-moving yet captivating plot, complex romance, great worldbuilding, etc. If you are a fan of Sarah Waters, or more specifically Fingersmith, I think you'd really enjoy with one as well!

I did not finish this book. I got to the 35% mark and just could not go on. I found myself disliking Emmett and skimming the book rather than reading it and being involved. Maybe I will go back to it one day but probably not anytime soon.

I did enjoy the premise and the idea of binding. I thought that was very creative.

Bridget Collins sweeps us into a magical past from the very first page and keeps us through the end with a masterfully wrought plot and even more beautifully flowing prose that feel like the classic storytellers. Her period details are woven into the fabric of her narrative with ease, as she probes the human psyche with intimacy, exposing the motivations that drive human desire. To label this work as romance or mystery or fantasy is to diminish the rich tapestry of experience that Collins creates. a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I just could not get into this book, the concept was great but it didnt seem to live up to its potential. The beginning was very slow and I wasnt keen on the characters. I would also caution readers as there are some trigger warnings in this book. Unfortunately I cant recommend this book.

I'm between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I think I would have really enjoyed this book more if Seredith hadn't died almost immediately -- what was the point of not learning anything of the life she led or what she knew about Binding? I think the book could have really been more interesting if it had stayed focused on the apprentice experience between Emmett and Seredith, then saved maybe some of the other story line for a sequel. But since that's not what happened, I'll move on. It was refreshing getting a serious love story about love between men. So often this experience is wrapped up in soppy YA drama, so this was refreshing. The concept of books being actual memories sucked from the owner is also really interesting, but we don't learn much about it since the author didn't really stay with that line. Instead we learn about the awful things that men do and how this magic kind of trade had been abused and turned into a seedy profit trade.

I really enjoyed this novel. A fantasy with a historical setting, lush description, and such an interesting subject matter. The love story was wonderful and just so well thought out. The binding was so incredibly thought provoking and rich with darker themes that give the reader something to think about. I was captivated by this book from beginning to end. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!